These are the three main priorities of the Left Party’s Luxembourg City Section ahead of the 2023 municipal elections.
The local politicians criticised the municipal executive, a two-party coalition between the Democratic Party (DP) and the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), for “boasting about the offer of affordable rented flats in Luxembourg City,” despite the fact that “the offer of social housing is nowhere close to meeting the demand”. According to the Left Party, the current rate of just over 1% should be increased to 10% in the medium-term and 20% in the long-term. The opposition party argues that this is possible if the ‘Porte de Hollerich’ and ‘Stade Route d’Arlon’ projects remain in public hands. In addition, the Left Party proposes the creation of a communal real estate company as a “counterweight” to private developers.
Nathalie Reuland from the Left Party’s Luxembourg City section explained that this would allow the municipality to start its own construction projects to allow “people with low or normal income but also those dependent on social welfare” to continue living in the capital. Reuland pointed out that the municipality not only has “an enormous amount of building land,” 87.5 hectares in total, but also “substantial financial reserves”, €1.28 billion to be exact. The municipality employs 4,400 workers and through the Ministry of Housing’s bricks-and-mortar aid, the commune is eligible for subsidies that would cover 75% of the costs of affordable housing projects, Reuland explained.
As for citizen participation, the Left Party proposes the creation of one committee per neighbourhood, which would receive both material and financial support. These neighbourhood committees could tackle any issue related to their local area and write opinions that would have to be considered before a vote in the municipal council, the opposition party explains.
The Left Party is also worried regarding the shortage of places in childcare facilities and the resulting long waiting lists. According to the opposition party, the main cause of this issue is staff shortages.
Finally, the local politicians highlighted the “great commitment” of its councillors, despite the fact that the municipal executive only accepts few proposals. For this reason, Councillor Guy Foetz argues that the capital would benefit if neither the DP, nor the CSV were part of the next coalition, declaring that the Left Party will campaign for an alliance with the Green Party and the LSAP “so that we can finally make some progress in Luxembourg City”.
